Breeching-strap holder.



No. 765,303: PATENTED JULY 19, 1904. J. w. ADAMS.

BREEGHING STRAP HOLDER. I

APPLIOATION FILED 00m. 9. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

mum-r II E UNITED STATES Patented July 19, 1904.

JOSEPH WALTER ADAMS, OF SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA.

BREECHING-STRAP HOLDER. j

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 765,303, dated July 19, 1904,

Application filed October 9, 1903.

To all whom it may concern:

tion thereon Without the employment of snaphooks, buckles, and similar auxiliary fastening devices.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for detachably securing the holdback to the thills and means whereby the holdback may be adjusted longitudinally on the thills and clamped at any desired position thereon. I

A still further object is to provide the holdback with looking grooves or slots adapted to receivethe terminal tongues of a retainingstrap, so that when said tongues are introduced in the grooves or slots and the holdback given a quarter-turn it will cause the strap to engage the thill by frictional contact and clamp the holdback in position thereon.

The invention also consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the'accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figurel is a side elevation of a holdback constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same, illustrating the manner of applying the holdback to the thill. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the bottom of the thill, showing the holdback clamped in position thereon. Fig. A is a transverse sectional view of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a bottom Serial No. 176,435. (No model.)

plan view, partly in section, of a modified form of the invention.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates the thill; 2, the holdback-strap; 3, a portion of the breeching, and 4 my improved holdback. The holdback consists of a flat elongated plate 5, formed of metal or other suitable material, one end of which is provided with a curved slot 6, defining an integral hook 7, adapted to engage the holdbackstrap 2.. The hook 7 isformed with an enlargement or hump 8 and a laterally-extending curved bill 9, a tongue 10 being formed in the plate directly opposite the hump 8, adapted to prevent accidental displacement of the holdback-strap, as shown. The opposite end of the plate 5 is preferably curved, as shown at 11, and provided with oppositelydirected cam slots or grooves12, adapted to receive the terminal heads 13, of a retaining band or strap 14. The heads 13 of the strap or band are preferably curved, as shown, to conform to the curvature of the slots 12, one end of each of said heads being extended beyond the strap to form a lip 14:, and the opposite end thereof bent at right angles thereto to form a locking-lug 15. The base of the slots or grooves 12 for a distance of slightly more than the width of the strap 14 is made wide enough to permit the easy insertion of the terminal heads 13, the remainder of the slots being preferably only the width of the thickness of the strap, so as to prevent said heads from pulling out when locked in position, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. Communicating with the base of the slots or grooves 12 are openings 16, adapted to receive the lugs 15, said lugs being adapted to engage the face of the plate 5 and hold the band in position preparatory to locking the holdback to the thill. The plate 5 is provided on its upper side, and at one edge thereof, with an inwardlytapering rib or thickened portion 17 which extends from one end ofthe plate to a point adjacent thecam-slots12, said rib being adapted to bear against the side of the thilland space the hook 7 a short distance therefrom,

' case of accident.

so as to facilitate the introduction and removal of the" holdbaclr-strap. The tapering rib 17 also prevents lateraldisplacemeiftofthe plate 5 and relieves the fastening of a portion of the strain incident to the baekw ard pull of the draft-animal.

In attaching the holdback to the thill the.

terminal heads 13 of the retaining-strap are introduced in the cam-slots at the widest portion thereof and given a slight turn, so as to cause the lugs 15 to engage the plate and prevent the straps from becoming accidentally displaced. The strap having the plate 5 attached thereto is then slipped over the end of of the strap to engage 'thetapering portions of the slots 12*a'nd the lips 14: "lugs 15 to bear against the topof the plate, as clearly shown in Fig. '3, clamping the'retainingsti'aps to the thill and securing the holdba'ck in the proper position thereon. To facilitate the turning of "the plate-5, so as to tighten the band andeausesaid plateto'ass'um'e its proper position on the thill, the terminal heads =13 of the band may be drawn together and held stationary with a pair of pincersor other-teal, if desired. 'Io mmo'v'e the holdbac'k, it is simply necessary to reverse the operation above described; thereby 'peimit'ti'ngthe plate and strap to be readily detached from the thill. Should'the "retaining-strap forany reason become l0os'e,ca'us'ing'the plate to s 'lideon the thill, the same may be quickly tightened by moving said plate longitudinally on the thill'and toward the free end thereof, soa'sto permit theterminal heads of "the strap to engage the reduced portion of the cam-'slots,as

' will be readily understood- In Fig. 5 *I'have illustrateda'modified -f01*m of the invention adapted "to automatically 'release'or detach theanim'al from thethills in In this instance one end 'of the plate-5 issomewhat thicker than the other and provided with a pair of spaced overhanging arms 18, between which is pivoted in any suitable manner the strap-engaging hook 7, so that in case of accident the forward movement of the animal Will-cause the holdback-strap to tilt'said tongue and au-- tomatically release the same.

The'cam'slots or grooves 12 are formed gradually 'tapering from beginning to end alnd'Withoiitthebbm- "inunicating openings 16 for the receptionof the lugs 15, the lip 14' being deemed sufficient in connection with'the tapering slots for looking readily and expeditiously attached to or detached from the velric'le-thil'ls and by means of which the holdba'clest'rap and breeching I V may be securely retained in position thereon. While I have illustrated for convenience the holdback attached to a single thill, it Will of course be understood that in practice a similar device will be attached in like manner to the opposite shaft or thill of the vehicle.

In some instances the tapering rib 17 may be extended upwardly to form a thin plate adapted to bear against the side or top of the thill, so as to form an additional fastening for the holdba'ck, and thereby reduce the strain on the retaining-strap. I

Having thus described the invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Pat- "en't, is I 1. A holdback'compris'ingastrap engaging plate ihavi'n'g "oppositely directed cam slots, anda'thil'l-embracing strap'engaging said'c'amslots.

2. Alioldba'ck comprising aplate provided Witha strap-engaging hook and having oppositely-direeted cam-slots, and a thill-embraccam-slots.

3. A holdba'ckeomp'risinga plate provided with a stra -engaging-hook an'd having oppositely directed "cam-slots, and a thill-embracing strap provided with terminal heads adapted to engage said cam-slots.

4. Aholdbackeomprising a plate provided 'withan integral strap-engaging hook'exte'nding in'the'same plane therewithand having "oppo's ite'ly=di rectedpain-slots,and a thill-embracing strap adapted to engage said camslots.

A holdba'ck comprisinga'p'late provided with'a strap-engaging hook-and having opposite'ly directed cam-slots, "and "a thill-embracing strap provided with curved terminal'heads "adapted toengagesaid cam-slots.

embra'cing strap having terminal heads adapted to'engage said slots.

8. A holdback comprising a strap engaging member provided with oppositely-directed cam -slots, and a thill-embracing member adapted to engage said cam-slots.

'9. A holdback comprising a s'trap' engaging 'plate provided with oppositely directedcamslots, openings formed in the plate and commun'i'cating with the base of said slots, anda thill embracing strap provided W1'tl1 curved terminal heads having outwardly-projecting lugsor lipsadapted to engage said cam-slots.

10. Aholdback' comprising astrap-enga curved tapering slots, and a thill-emloraoing' ing plate provided with oppositely-directed strap provided with curved terminal heads adapted to engage said slots.

11. A holdback comprising a strap-engaging plate provided at one edge with a tapering rib or enlargement and having oppositelydirected cam-slots formed therein, and a thillembracing strap engaging said cam-slots.

12; A holdback comprising a plate provided at one end with a laterally-projecting strapengaging hook having an enlargement or 

